LinPlug unveils SaxLab 2 Saxophone Synthesizer for PC. A Mac version will follow soon.
Features:
Many different sound sets for the various saxophone instruments
Monophonic with “real sax” behaviour
Adjustable mix of the “Air” layer, the “Keys” layer and the main tonal layer
User-definable, velocity-sensitive amplitude envelope
Tonal characteristics of the instrument’s overall sound can be defined by the user
Real-time control of the instrument’s amplitude, brightness, the amount of room and the “roaring” of the sound.
Three modes of mono performance: Legato, Retrigger and Alternate
Separate control of Up/Down PitchBend and Scoop
Adjustable pitch, air and body frequency deviation per note
Envelope, LFO and MIDI-controlled vibrato and tremolo
Specialized stereo chorus and stereo reverb effects
Full Micro Tuning capability (loads TUN files)
MidiLearn available for every control
Sample accurate timing, full automation and settings are saved with the song
New in this version:
The samplelibrary has been rerecorded with a world class saxophone player and by using some of the finest recording gear available. Careful post-processing of the samples means that SaxLab produces simply the best sax sound that a virtual instrument can produce The “Velocity to Envelope” control present in the first version of SaxLab has been replaced with a new control for enhancing the attack transients of notes. The “Velocity to Envelope” function is still present however it is no longer adjustable by the user. The new control can be used to improve the sound of attack transients and increases realism in the case of staccato or funky sax playing. A fine control named Crossfade Time has been added to SaxLab's Mode section for automatic articulation depending on the tempos at which notes are played. It controls the time that a note's pitch takes to reach the target note when the instrument is in Legato mode. The Performance section has been completely reworked and now contains many more control sources and destinations for real-time control and expression. The Performance section features a new MIDI Exp subsection which is a small modulation matrix customised for sax playing. A new effect has been added to reproduce the “growl” sound which is a typical component of the sound of a saxophone. The LFO has been improved and now uses a new waveshape. It also has a better "attack" characteristic so as to create a more natural sound. The Air parameter now has a dedicated control in the Deviation section. This means that each note's “Air” component can be randomised, creating more timbrel variation from note to note. The reverb algorithm has been improved so that it sounds more natural. In addition to this, the Reverb Mix parameter is available as a modulation destination in the MIDI Exp section. The microtuning system used in previous version of SaxLab system has been updated so that the instrument now uses standard TUN files. This means that the number of microtuning systems available for use is vastly increased. Instrument Presets are now managed using the standard LinPlug system which is found on all other LinPlug instruments.
Price: $199 / €149
"Catch the spirit of Saxophones. SaxLab is the result of many years of investigation and programming. It uses not one technology, but a very carefully balanced mixture of various techniques, to obtain the most realistic sax sound you can get from a virtual instrument." Via